Destinations HD Travel Blog

Happy New Year! We’ve had a lot to celebrate here at Destinations HD – 2018 marked our best year yet, thanks to all of you and your referrals, which has led to our boutique agency being nominated in the TOP THREE for "Travel Company of the Year" in the Kansas City area!

While we can’t wait to get dolled up for the Awards Gala announcing the finalist on January 26 (fingers crossed), we have something else to share with you. Destinations HD is proud to announce the addition of a new service we now provide...

Pick My Brain Travel Service

Working with Destinations HD, ensures you get a tailor-made travel experience with each detail personalized to what YOU need, want and desire from your precious time away. However, as we have grown, and travel has become more readily available – and affordable – to a wider number of people, we’ve noticed an increase in both spontaneous and research based travelers.

These are the people who either spend hours poring over reviews and forums to determine just what they want OR the people who don’t know what they want and like to have more flexibility while they are away. Less itinerary and more “seize the day” type vacations.

This is where our new service comes in – Pick My Brain! We offer this new service to those who know they want a travel advisor in their corner, but don’t necessarily want all of the bells and whistles of our travel planning concierge expertise.

To these clients, we offer the following as part of our new service with trusted and expert advice:

Destination Selection:We receive a lot of clients who have no idea where they want to go – sometimes it’s simply “something tropical, or maybe Greece or Italy or Bali or Mexico?”. The way we can help is by asking the right questions to figure out exactly what you want to get out of your trip and what you want to experience – the memories you want to bring home.

Once we ascertain what you want, it gets easier to narrow down your options and once we couple your answers with logistics, such as how long you have to travel, what kind of budget is at your disposal, the time of year you’ll be creating those memories, etc... we can really hone in on the options that will work best for you.

The reason we are able to do this more quickly for you is that our career, day in and day out, is travel. We read articles, travel regularly, attend workshops, webinars, conferences, take courses and programs, all designed to keep us up-to-date and knowledgeable about airport hubs, monsoon seasons, active volcanoes, beaches with high rip tides, school breaks across the world, civil unrest, new dive discoveries, hotel updates, off-the-beaten path hidden gems, and so much more! We have already put in the hours to become experts that you can trust so that you can concentrate on planning the fun parts of your dream getaway.

Assistance with Travel Insurance, Passports & Visas:Did you know that if you want to travel to Vietnam you need to know which airport in the country that you’re entering in and that you have to apply for a Visa to enter the country before you depart the USA? Or that to enter India or Thailand you need to have proof of your plan to exit the country – with an onward traveling plane ticket? Not to mention that even if you can get your tourist visa once you arrive in the country, you won’t get it granted unless you have at least two blank pages of your passport available, 6 months validity on the passport AND 2 passport pictures of yourself at hand? We do – and we can help you understand the steps you’ll need to take in order to be prepared to have the adventure of a lifetime!

Accommodation and Transportation Advice:With all of the options available, it can get overwhelming to figure out which hotel, resort, cruise or even which DISTRICT or city you’re supposed to stay in. What’s the difference between Cabo San Lucas and Cabo San Jose? What does five stars have that four stars doesn’t? An all-inclusive just means you get everything included right? Is it realistic to plan on walking around London? Is it safe to hire scooters in Thailand? Can you just rely on buses or underground systems in France? Will you need to rent a car in Grand Cayman?

We can answer all of these questions and more – for example, did you know that hotel rooms in Europe adhere to a different standard than we are used to in the USA and that bedding sizes are different? Furthermore, if you have more than 3 people traveling, it can be difficult to find accommodations in one room in Europe. Or that with all-inclusive resorts, what's included, service level and the quality do vary significantly (even when the star rating is the same) which can either make or break your vacation? We can help! You may not need a travel concierge, but it never hurts to have a travel advisor in your corner.

Reservation Booking:You know where you want to go, you know where you want to stay and you’re ready to get it all locked in, but don't trust the online website or service if anything goes wrong. We are delighted to assist you with booking the trip for you (as long as it's a provided option through our extensive supplier network*) and will provide you everything you need to embark on your next adventure!

*We do not book properties outside our supplier network due to legal and ethical reasons, as some are privately owned and have not been vetted or authorized, so there is no guarantee on the type of experiences, cleanliness or service you will receive, and we would be unable to assist you while traveling in the event that there is a problem with the property. We are excited to be able to offer this new service to our loyal clients, old and new, and can’t wait to get started helping you create memories to last a lifetime! Call us to discuss your travel plans and see how we can assist you! (913) 244-9195 #experiencesawait #destinationshd